Speed Limit 140 ???

The Perfect Highway Speed

Law makers in Spain are currently thinking about increasing the maximum speed limit on Auto-vias and Auto pistas to 140 kph. I am absolutely appalled that this is even a suggestion, let alone a serious consideration. The country has reason to rejoice at the falling death rate on the highway, which can only be the credit of drivers slowing down and taking greater care. Then the government come along with this crazy scheme to increase the speed limit.

A lot of people have been taking the liberty of driving at 140 when they should have been content with 120. If the government make the speed limit 140, can we expect that people will drive at 160? Of course we can! The death toll in 2009 was 1,897, the first time that it had been less than 2,000 people. Am I missing something here? Is the government so concerned about over crowding on the streets that they rely on a certain number of people to actually die on the roads.

The logic seems to run contrary to normal and rational thinking. Why do we need to drive at 140 kph? We can always arise a little earlier from our beds and leave home a little earlier to make it to work on time. We can better organise our day to allow travelling time. We don’t have to make up time on the highway. Simply put, we don’t have to drive that fast. Drivers have been slowing down and that has resulted in fewer deaths on the road. I really hope that common sense will prevail and that this senseless idea be defeated in the legislature.

The best highway speed both for fuel efficiency and control is 90 kph. Every ten kilometres above that control decreases by a quatum jump, as does fuel consumption due to more wind pressure generated against the vehicle. I say "it ain't broke so stop trying to fix it!"

My conclusion as to the intent of the suggested new legislation is that the government must actually want us to kill ourselves on the highways of Spain. Everything else that they say and do seems to be just politics.

The question now is whether we drivers will take the bait? Personally I rarely drive at 120 kph.

Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael

TOWED II

THE PAIN OF BEING TOWED

In my previous column entitled “Towed” I described what happened when we doubled-parked our car on 26th November, 2009. We were trying to attend an appointment and we could not find anywhere to park, so we did what many other drivers did and made a second line and left our handbrake in the off position. Some cars were left with their emergency lights blinking, which I always think simply draws attention to the offence that you are committing.

When our appointment was over we returned to where we left the car and it had been towed away. We took a taxi to the impound centre and paid 139.44 euros to retrieve it. The receipt said that sum was comprised of 91 euros for the fine and 48.44 for the towing fee. With this type of receipt I think it’s important to maintain it in a safe place, just in case there’s a question later.

Later arrived in February when we received a summons for the “unpaid” fine. I decided I would simply take the receipt and show that we had indeed paid the fine. The problem is that I’m still trying to find the safe place that I placed the receipt in and time has run out. Unable to prove my point I have had to pay the fine again, although they gave me a discount.

What’s the chances that happened naturally? Firstly, if the towing fee really is 139.44 euros, that would be absolutely outrageous, but the lady at the government office was adamant that was only the fee for the towing. However, why would the impound centre release my car without having me pay the complete charge? It is possible as the impound centre does not issue the denuncia, so perhaps I should have been charged only the towing fee of 48.44.in the first place.

There is a story here with a bad smell and it needs to be looked into. The mere fact that I have paid twice for the same charge is criminal in itself. Unfortunately my prime exhibit is missing for the time being so I am unable to move forward, but I suggest that anyone who finds themselves in a position of having their car towed should save their receipt. It may become very important evidence later.

Also, this whole experience is making me think twice about doing as the Spanish do. I think I need to be less cavalier about where and whether I abandon my car. It gets a little expensive.

Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael

A Warning

Beware!

These are very desperate financial times, and that is apparently leading some people to take desperate action to get their hands on money. James Foxall, Car Contributor to MSN writes that the percentage of fraudulent claims that insurers are receiving have increased by over 70%. He noted specifically ten forms of claims, some of which involve innocent other drivers. There are some things that we can do so as not to cooperate with the scam artists, but fundamentally, to be forewarned is to be forearmed.

Principally, the things that we can do is to drive carefully, free of impairments and with due attention to what other traffic is doing around us. Keeping one’s distance from the car in front means that if he intends to stop sharply forcing you to slam into him, by keeping a safe distance you will frustrate his endeavours. The reason he wants you to slam into him is that he can claim for whiplash damages, even although he may not have such an injury.

Beware of other drivers signalling you to move into their lane. Normally, the other driver will drop back allowing you to go ahead. However, in the case of the intentional collision he will not slow down, and then claim it’s your fault and deny that he gave you any such signal.

Other scams, such as asking a friend to take your car and dump it so that you can claim for a stolen car, is beyond the scope of members of the public to stop. Likewise, exaggerating the claim for things not lost is something none of the motoring public should do. Similarly, when applying be sure to complete the application truthfully and fully. Errors and omissions at that stage could lead to no coverage just when you need it most.

It is important to remember that there are organised gangs who wake up in the morning to go to work. Their job is working all manner of insurance scams, and they may ensnare you using two or more cars. It will be difficult at first to detect when you are surrounded by a gang, but keeping a keen eye out for behaviour that is not just bad driving, but driving to cause a deliberate accident will become clearer with experience.

Putting packages or handbags on the front passenger seat, or worse the rear seats is an invitation to “break my window and take my bag.” This form of highway robbery is on the increase as well. If it’s your handbag or briefcase and you really must place it on the front seat, then use the seat belt to secure it. The more obvious the better.

These are the realities of life today. It helps to anticipate what could happen so that you can be better prepared to deal with life on the roads today.

Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael

They are Out to Get You

They are Waiting to Save You from.....Yourself!

Earlier we spoke of the warning that law enforcement would be concentrating more intensely this year on speeding. True to their word the Big Guns are out there. The part I don’t like is that it is more about raising revenue than law enforcement. The police are to be respected as enforcing the law, in my opinion, and to reduce their status to that of revenue officers lowers the overall respect for Law and Order generally, but I’m not in charge, so my opinion counts for nothing.

In the city of Valencia, many a driver has come to a shocking realisation along the Ronda Norte and Ronda Sud. We are reminded that the limit is 50 kph, the same as driving along any interior city road, however, very few people adhere to that limit.

Recently, apparently someone who has felt the sting of a fine for speeding along those routes was driving along so slowly that all the traffic was going around him. As I caught up with him I noticed my speedometer was reading 50 kph. Ah! Thought I. The problem is that this person is travelling at the legal speed limit.

Some times, the speed limit posted is a really good suggestion to keep drivers from injuring themselves. I’m being facetious, of course, because legal speed limits are always for that purpose. There is one stretch of road where you climb a small hill, and as you go over the top you are faced with a place where traffic might be crossing the road from the right. Many large trucks use that area, and if you were travelling at 100kph and an extra long truck was crossing you would not be able to stop in time.

The year 2009 was a bellweather year in that the number of people killed on Spanish roads fell below 2000. The truth is that if we all slow down that would help that number to fall even further. The number that we are hoping to beat on the low side is 1,897. We, acting as a group, can do that. We can make Spain’s roads the most safe in all of Europe.

Whether it’s a case of raising money or raising awareness it really is in our own interests to show respect to the speed camera, avoid the penalties and stay safe.

My best wishes to all my fellow drivers for a “Multa-Free” year. That would be just fine in my point of view.

Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael

I Would-A if I Could-A

I Would have if I Could have

This story is only part fantasy. It is a story about being a hero if only I could have been. But, I didn’t get the chance to be, and that’s such a shame.

The story began on a perfectly normal day. I had driven my car into town and parked in a pay-park area in front of the car that was already there. I collected my things and got out of my car to buy a ticket from the parking machine. I put in the money and stepped back to retrieve the ticket. At that moment there was a commotion to my right that I detected from the corner of my eye. It was a man with a stick, and he was running towards me. I thought I was under attack, but before I could react he bounced off me and came to a halt a few metres away.

He threw his arms in the air, including the stick and he absolutely SCREAMED at the top of his voice: DIOS ME! NO! NO! NO! Everyone on the street froze. Two meter maids who were walking towards him went quickly up to him and asked: “What’s the matter?” He kept repeating : “No! No! No! It cannot be!” Again the ladies asked “What cannot be?” He replied that he had left a bag containing money on the bonnet of his car and someone had taken it.

Poor man. He had evidently had one of those Senior Moments. Reconstructing what had happened, it seems that he had got out of his car and placed the bag with money on the bonnet of his car, and then walked the twelve steps to the machine and bought a ticket for the car. He then placed the ticket on the inside, turned to the right and simply walked away without the bag. At some point he realised that he did not have it, and in spite of the fact that he needed a cane to walk, he had come running, hoping against hope that the bag would still have been there.

I had arrived and parked in front of him but there was no bag at that time. This is where my fantasy comes into the picture, together with a question: What would I have done had I come face to face with a bag of money that was just sitting out in public?

I have thought about this over and over again, but my first thought still prevails: I would have made certain that the money found its way back to its lawful owner. I would have taken the bag from the bonnet of the car and put it in my car. Then I would have simply sat to await his return. In the meantime I would have called the town police and asked that officers came to the scene.

If only that could have been the way it played out. If you could have witnessed that man’s agony you would have wanted to be the one to have been able to say, “Here it is! Calm yourself.” He was a mature man, and I have no idea how much was in his bag, but evidently he considered it an absolute disaster that he had lost it.

Of course he was given the advice to immediately report it to the police. My only hope is that in doing so he would have found that some person had made the trip to the police station to turn the money in.

What disturbs me most about this is that if he got his money back we would have celebrated that fact as a major event because we would expect that whomever found it would keep it.

Honesty really is the best policy. If that money was simply spent by the finder, that would have possibly been the end of it. A guilty conscience might have been the price. However, had the money been returned to its owner, that deed would have been a solid part of the finder’s reputation for the rest of his life. It would also be a matter of personal pride, and that would be Priceless!

That is something to think about so that we will be ready when fate makes it our turn to make the right decision.

Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael

Police Humour

Things that make Smokey the Bear Laugh

Would it come as a surprise to you to know that the police have a sense of humour? You may find that hard to believe, especially when they are arresting you, reading you your rights, writing you a ticket, or worse, shooting at you or bashing in your head as part of riot control, but the fact is it is essential for them to be able to see the funny side of things. Some lose their sense of humour, and when that happens it usually ends badly for such officers.

I wondered what sorts of things make an officer fall about in laughter. I logged on to a website advertising funny police stories. What I found I thought was very interesting. I think I can share some of these:

A Royal Canadian Mounted Policeperson by the name of A.L. Lambie says that while working general duty he was called to the scene of an accident. A car had left the road and ended up in someone’s garden. The driver was still in the car and was having a hard time breathing. He couldn’t get out without help.

The officer gave assistance, but noticed a foul smell. Turns out that the driver was a high priced lawyer in a three-piece suit. He was on his way home suffering with the flu. He apparently felt the need to pass wind, but passed more than he expected, and lost control and ended up in the garden.

Policemen don’t particularly like high-priced lawyers who get the bad guys off, so to the police this was an A-class story. He says, “we laughed for days over that one.” I bet they did.

From the Houston Police department comes the story of a bad guy who walks up to the policeman and hands him a baggie of Coke. He said that he had just bought it from a guy down the road and he wanted the police to go arrest him for selling drugs. The truth was that this “model” citizen was a drug dealer himself trying to get rid of the competition. The police got rid of them both. Some stories are so funny you couldn’t make them up.

This one is funny and has involved apparently several people in separate situations. It’s about the cruise control function on cars. The police in California had one case where the van was owned and driven by an Asian man. He engaged the cruise control in his camper van and got up to get a drink from the fridge. With no-one at the driving wheel the van went off the road and crashed. Duh! The same thing happened in all the cases.

There is a big difference between automatic pilot and cruise control. Between sobbing with laughter the police were just amazed these people actually held driving permits.

The police nabbed three guys as suspects in an armed robbery. They got a positive identification from the victim who said they stole his watch and $15 in cash. An officer asked, “O.K: which one of you guys stole this man’s Rolex watch? One of the guys pipes up with “Weren’t no damn Rolex. It’s a Seiko! And then he took it off his wrist and said “See!”

If only police work could always be this easy.

To the men and women who police our neighbourhoods and streets, “Stay safe, and Keep smiling!”


Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael

The Funny Side of Driving

Keep Smiling!

I have been writing about driving matters for well over five years, and it has now occurred to me that I have never focused on the lighter side. Is there a lighter side? Absolutely! People are people and we have the capacity to see the funny side of everything, including driving. The things we say when we are in a bit of trouble, and the things we say to our insurance companies can be terribly funny.

I worked in the insurance industry for over twenty-five years, and although I never dealt with motor claims the funnier claims do somehow get shared. In fact, simply Google “funny driving stories” and you will probably be amazed by the number of entries.

For instance, in answer to the question “Could either driver have done anything differently to have avoided the accident?” The answer given was “We could have taken the bus!”

A car collided with a cow. Question “What warning was given by you?” Answer. Horn. “And the other party?” “Moo!”

“Sorry officer. I didn’t think the speed limit applied after midnight.”

“The car in front hit the pedestrian, but he got up, so I hit him again.”

The policeman pulled over the tourist on his bike. “Sir, your wife fell off your bike about ten minutes ago!” “Oh, Thank God for that. I thought I’d gone deaf!”

Magistrate to defendant: “It was the only car on the street and you hit it. Why?”

“I was trying to kill a fly when I drove into the telephone pole.”

“Coming home I drove into the wrong house and hit a tree I don’t have.”

“I thought my window was down until I spat through it.”

“The pedestrian ran for the sidewalk, but I got him.”

Humour is everywhere, even when you least expect it. I will do this again soon. Meanwhile, keep smiling and let’s try not to meet by accident!

Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael

A Fine for Speeding

Speeding is not good!

“You are charged with travelling at 85 kilometres per hour in a 50 kilometre zone. How do you plead?”

“Guilty, Your Honour.”

“Very well. I will take a moment to review your prior offences history, if any.”

The thing about this is that probably every driver that ever lived has committed this offence. In fact when the police want to catch a lot of speeders they set up the radar where speed is reduced because drivers are very bad about adhering to slow-down zones.

Part of the fault lies in the road administration in the way that signs are placed. There is one stretch where you are leaving a town and a speed limit of 50. You come upon a sign that says 80 is the limit from here. Just as you get your speed up to 80 there’s a sign saying 50. You would have to brake very hard to be in compliance.

It is very commonplace to come upon a series of signs that require the driver to reduce his speed from 120 down to 40. The law says that as you pass each sign your speed may not be more than that stated on the sign. Again, it is just about impossible to achieve what they want without emergency braking.

Those elements apart, Spain’s drivers just don’t have the discipline that German and Dutch drivers posses. Those drivers are always anticipating they will have to slow down and they are very good about observing the rules without question. (Sometimes.)

Should you be unfortunate to be ticketed for speeding you will have to pay a fine. Apart from being a punishment a fine is also intended to teach the driver a lesson. So, let’s now return to the court case that is in session in St. Gallen, East Switzerland.

“The Court can see that you have a number of convictions for speeding and other driving offences. It would appear that you have not learned your lesson as yet. Under the circumstances this Court feels it must impose a fine that will get your attention. You are therefore fined euros 180,000.”

It is just as well that the court did not suspend his licence as he has five cars. He also has fourteen million dollars, so maybe a fine of this magnitude will get his attention. Maybe not!

Apart from the dialogue, which I have had to assume, this is a true story. The fine amounted to 5,142 euros per kilometre over the limit. That would certainly get my attention.

Copyright © Eugene Carmichael 2010

A Positive Start

The Goal? Far fewer of these in 2010!

These days there is so much bad news to digest that to actually have some really good news makes me very happy. The Spanish road authority has reported that for the first time in modern history, Spanish annual road deaths have fallen to below two thousand.

This is a story about a positive end to 2009 and a positive start to 2010. Perhaps this is not as exciting as news that cars are being sold at giveaway prices, (they aren’t) or that suddenly there are jobs for everybody, (I wish), but the fact that fewer than two thousand people lost their lives on the road in 2009 is a major plus. Far fewer children lost their fathers or mothers, and there were fewer sad stories to be added to the mountain of doom and gloom that already exists.

When we arrived in Spain in the year 2000, life ended on the roads for 4295 unlucky people. They were involved in 3678 crashes. It was also very easy to see why these things were happening. Driving habits were terrible! There were people in those days who seemed to treat driving as though it were a contest in the bullring. Also, the attitude to alcohol was appalling, especially given that people started early in the morning and included alcohol in their activities throughout the day, and that included driving.

For 1992 the statistics are that 5,035 people died in 4,209 crashes. Over the intervening period of seventeen years the statistics have shown a very significant decline. By 1998 the figures had fallen to 4,289 people declared dead from 3,618 crashes. Something was at work making drivers more conscious of their driving habits. Also, roads have been improved greatly leading to safer surfaces upon which to travel.

Enter the points system around 2003-2004 and the figures were dramatic. In 2003 there were nine more deaths than 2002, but in 2004 there were 518 fewer deaths from 407 fewer crashes. 2005 was the point at which Spain turned the corner. That year 3,332 deaths were recorded from 2,876 crashes. People might not have been afraid of dying themselves in a crash, but by now we were driving in defence of our licenses, if not our lives. We could see light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel, and it was daylight.

During 2008 driving had continued to improve to the extent that 2,181 people died in 1,929 crashes. There must have been great celebrations at the DGT who are the people who are leading the campaign that says “To Return is most Important.” 2009 broke the threshold of 2000 deaths, resulting in 1,897 deaths. That is such excellent news and hopefully suggests that the day will not be far off when we can expect single digit figures. (Why not?) By simply resolving not to drive while impaired will almost be certain to return you home safely.

It is very unfortunate that many fatal crashes claim the lives of more than one person. That means many people who die are innocent of any wrongdoing. But, it also means that one reason for the declining rate is that many of the truly reckless are now simply bricks in the cemetery wall.

Nowhere is it written that if you use the roads you absolutely must die on them. Good luck and stay safe!

Congratulations to my fellow drivers! Keep up the good work.

Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael

A Driver's New Year Resolutions

Happy Driving in 2010!

New Year’s Resolutions are fun. We make all sorts of promises to ourselves in good faith, knowing that we really should keep our word, but equally knowing that by the end of January things will be back to normal. However, nothing ventured, nothing gained. So, fellow drivers, please join with me in making some promises to ourselves and to each other that may help to ensure that we get to this point again in 2010.

We promise to drive responsibly and with care for the benefit of ourselves and to others.
We will not drive after consuming alcohol or drugs that may impair our abilities.
We will focus our attention on the matter of driving with due care and attention.
We will drive with discipline and courtesy to other road users.
We will be constantly on alert as to what may happen so that we may be prepared to meet the challenge.
We will observe the speed limits as they are generally well thought out.
We will moderate our speed to suit road conditions.

With those promises in mind 2010 could very well be a good year for driving. Best of good luck to each and everyone in this brand New Year.

Copyright © 2010 Eugene Carmichael

A Chinese Volvo ?

Not Good News!






The news this week is all about the fact that Volvo's owners, Ford are in a deal to sell Volvo to a Chinese group. Volvo, one of Sweden's proudest exports was bought by Ford for about six billion dollars a few years ago, and now Ford is selling the company at a monumental loss to the Chinese.



I own a Volvo, and I regard the mark as one of the very best cars on the planet. I also own a Hammel scooter that I regard as one of the worst made products to have come out of China. It just falls apart as you ride it as it is supposed to be ridden. Consequently it sits in my garage gathering dust, unsafe at any speed, in my opinion. I am afraid to sell it as I would be simply passing along the problem to someone else.



So, what I would really like as a Christmas present is that the company reverts to its original owners and remains that way. Sweden does some things really well. Making cars is one of them. Their motto is "Volvo for Life" If only it could be that way. I won't even consider purchasing another Volvo if the company is owned by the Chinese, and that is notwithstanding the fact that I do buy many things made in China.



Copyright (c) 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Season's Greetings!

Dear Readers,

At this festive time of year I want to take this opportunity to wish each and every one a safe Christmas, full of love, peace, hope and understanding.



Happy Holidays to Everyone around the World!





Eugene Carmichael

Give me a Sign

Where am I?


When driving through city streets we experience signage overload. If we are looking for McDonalds, or Burger King, we can spot their signs from a block away. The same is the case for Mercodona, Consum, or Carrefour. No problem in finding them.

Telepizza is easy to find, as is Dominoes’ Pizza. Media Market just jumps right out into your face. El Corte Ingles’ is the big boy that you couldn’t miss, even if you wanted to. In fact, most shops are well signposted. My problem is with the street names. They are all posted on postage stamp-sized signs with lettering as fine as the small print in contracts.

So what’s wrong with this picture? We need to know firstly what street this is, and we need to be able to see the sign and to be able to read it.

Please, City Hall, help us!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Expect the Unexpected – Always!

"A little Care will get you There!"

As many people will know, I am recuperating from a crash on my motorcycle. It happened because in spite of my dedication to the principle of anticipation, a lapse occurred and I failed to anticipate and that was my undoing.

Anticipation in motoring is simply the rule that if we can anticipate that something might happen we can prepare for it should it happen, to the best of our abilities.

A problem can occur as a result of travelling the same route every day, and we grow complacent. Nothing ever changes and we feel we know all there is to know. In my case I had turned into that particular one-way road system a brazillian times and the path was always clear. Everybody in the town knows that the direction of travel is going in. But, on the fateful day a man was visiting the town from Madrid and he turned his car into that roadway and drove counter to the correct direction, and that surprised me so much I over-compensated by braking very hard, and down went the bike.

We did not collide, (but came very close) and there is no damage to the bike as it fell on top of me. However, my left leg became trapped in just the right way for it to break.

This is about always expecting the unexpected. I have been thinking along these lines and amazingly as I do so I am seeing things happening that have not had any impact on me before, but these things do occur.

You are driving the correct direction along a one-way street when suddenly a vehicle approaches travelling in the wrong direction. What do you do? Firstly, you should assume this will happen, so you should situate your car to the right hand side as much as possible. That way, if there is room for the two vehicles to pass you will already be on the correct side.
You approach a junction with one-way cross traffic. You see the “No-Entry” sign that also indicates the direction from which traffic will be coming. Do you ignore the opposite side because there will not be traffic coming from that direction? The answer is it will be dangerous to assume that. Look both ways to be safe.
How safe is it to cut corners? It is never safe, especially if you can’t see that there is anything coming. This sounds rudimentary, but it is surprising how many people seem to think they are on the road alone.
Is reversing into the road an approved traffic manoeuvre? Sometimes it can’t be helped, but it is certainly not recommended. The risk of collision must surely be ten times greater when doing such a thing. If you have a passenger get that person to act as another pair of eyes for you.
Is it usually safe to speed on country roads that are deserted? Such roads present unexpected dangers such as slow moving farm equipment and animals on the loose. Consequentially, it is better to leave the speed to the motorway.
I noticed a man drive into a one-way street and promptly park his car in a legal space. When he came back to his car, instead on carrying on down the legal direction he turned around and drove out the way he came in. This was not someone who was confused. This was a deliberate and lazy act. Had a vehicle been in the act of turning into that street we would have had a repeat of my incident. The only thing you can do to protect yourself from such lunatics is to use more caution and expect that it may happen.

It should also be noted that the most dangerous spots on the road are those close to your own home. When you first get in the car it takes a little while to put on your driver's head, and when coming home we tend to relax in sight of our destination. Stay vigilant!

Perhaps I have made the point by now that out on the roadways and highways all sorts of things happen that shouldn’t. One out of two drivers are potentially a menace. If I’m not the one, then it must be you.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Spanish Drivers, Italian Killers?

Driving can be Hazardous to your Health

I live in Spain and have generally focused all my attention on driving and surviving on Spanish roads. We have lived here for ten years and have charted the experience over that period of time. When we first arrived I was absolutely horrified. Driving habits were off the chart, in so far as attitudes were concerned, however, a combination of determination on the part of the authorities to correct the savage aspect, and just plain driver education have turned things around.

Statistics that I have to hand reveal that in 2001 there were 5,517 funerals for family members who met their deaths on Spanish roads. In France the figure was 8,162, and in Italy it was 7,096. As is the norm in statistics, we would go on to consider the percentage of population. In the United States the latest figure is about 44,000 motor related deaths on the roads. I don’t care about percentages. To me, one death on the road is one far too many. When we receive our driver’s permit, no-one warns us that when we go out to buy a loaf of bread we may die.

It simply does not have to be like that. If you are a soldier and you go on patrol to find the enemy, there will be a very high probability that he may find you first, and if he does he will kill you. This is called warfare. Going out to the supermarket is not (supposed to be) a combative experience.

Driving through the various European countries brings various levels of risk, depending on the country. I suggest that you might like to read the various contributions on the Internet about driving in Italy before you go there. I have done that with the conclusion that I rule out Italy as a place to visit, or at least not to drive on their roads. One writer describes Italians as not so much drivers as killers with wheels. Regarding attitudes, expressions regularly appear such as, “don’t give a hoot for safety;” “drive like lunatics;” “pay scant regard to pedestrian crossings;” “mow down pedestrians;” “road signage is not helpful;” “overtaking as a death wish.”

Italian motorists drive much too fast, as do drivers in other parts of Europe. Speeding is probably the number one cause of so much death on the road, especially when coupled to inattention and drunkenness. I was told when I first came here to Spain that if these offences disappeared in Spain, then we would not be in Spain. However, the Spanish driver is finally getting the message and it is beginning to show on the road. In 2007 we had to attend only 3,823 funerals for this reason. It’s fair to say that France also attended 3,542 fewer funerals, there being only being 4,620. In 2001 there were 8,162 such funerals. Italy was also a country with a lower death rate. 1965 fewer people lost their lives than in 2001, with 5,131 having made space on the roads.

What is the difference that can make such a change? I am now seventy, so I’m old enough to know better. Consequently, when I’m in a bar I will order a beer without alcohol, or other soft drink. “I sometimes say that I’m driving, and once in a while the bartender will say, “Don’t blame you.” It’s amazing how just that little bit of encouragement means so much to me.

Incidentally, here’s a little bit of trivia: Most bartenders don’t drink alcohol.

I have started to hear other people say “No thanks, I’m driving.” Instead of being ridiculed we generally get support, or silence, which is the same thing.

Considering that so many people die on the roads there should be a great outcry and a major push for reform. But no, nothing much on an organised level happens. It could be that what is really going on in the road is a natural form of people culling. We have had major world wars in the past that have culled the species. The truth is that when people die they do leave space for others. There are people who scan the obituary columns for deaths when they are seeking a job or an apartment.

When people die they leave their possessions to others, sometimes their very body parts, so this is not all bad news. Sometimes the news is mixed to even the families who have been left behind. First comes the grief and shock of the loss, then that is followed by the reluctant joy. Who will get the house, who gets the car; and how to split up the savings account? These are the realities that we might want to call the plus side of premature death.

There is another more sinister side to all this carnage on the roads that receives very little reportage, and that is of the injuries. There are hidden stories here that are far worse than those who simply die and are buried. That story is done, but the injured, some injured for life, can present problems infinitely more difficult. People who are confined to wheelchairs, or their beds; who require 24-hour care; people whose lives are devoid of quality, all because of something that happened on the street.

If you are one of the people who are making an effort toward lowering the body count while driving, I think you are on the right track and that you should even re-double your efforts. It is possible to reach a point of no-one dying while driving. At least that should be the objective.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Towed!

When luck runs out!

It has cost me 139 euros and forty-four centimos, plus taxi fare for me to bring you this report.

You have no doubt noticed the gruas, (town hall tow trucks) from time to time picking up cars and bikes that are illegally parked and carting them off. In Valencia double parking is not legal. No matter what people tell you, and regardless of how many people do this, parking alongside a line of cars is not a good thing to do. Normally you would leave the handbrake off, or you would come running when you hear the other driver blowing his horn, but this does not make it legal. It simply makes the practise acceptable among drivers.

In Spain this is the custom and no-one is expected to get angry. This time it’s your turn to have to wait a minute while the other driver comes running. Next time you are the one to slightly inconvenience someone. It all works out, except in the eyes of the City. They employ officers to roam around on their motorcycles to spot the offenders and they call in the tow trucks that pick up your vehicle and leave a sticker on the ground where your car was.

Then you take a taxi to the impound centre where you pay your 91 euros fine plus tow charges of 48.44 euros, and you get your car back. The drivers are careful with your vehicle and usually carry out the tow without damage to your property. It will be an unwelcome bill but you have done wrong. The objective of the City is to keep the roads clear, so, if you have ever doubled-parked and got away with it, count your lucky stars.

However, you should know that one day your luck will run out and on that day you will pay. Incidentally, should you leave your car in the lock-up more than 24 hours you start to run up daily parking fees of 17.43. That is slightly cheaper than parking in a private parking garage.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

The Odd Ball

This is about driving a right-hand drive car on the right side of the road.

Several years ago an incident occurred that will likely never be completely forgotten. Traffic along the N-332 in the area of Torrevieja had come to a complete stop in the northbound direction. Southbound traffic was flowing freely. In among the stopped traffic was a right-hand drive car. For reasons known only to the driver he suddenly pulled out into the lane of opposing traffic, even although he could not see whether anything was coming. The following chain events occurred as a result of this reckless action:

He pulled into the path of a charter bus carrying 49 school children.
His wife, who was sitting in the left seat, was killed instantly from the impact.
A friend who was visiting them from the U.K. who was sitting in the rear was killed instantly also.
The bus lost control and veered left, pushing the car ahead of it. They crashed into another car that was stopped. The driver and his pregnant girlfriend occupied that car.
That driver was killed and the three vehicles went over a thirty- foot embankment with the bus falling on top of the other two cars.
The girlfriend was trapped in the wreckage.
On board the bus several of the children were injured, as was the driver.
One of the children’s injuries were so severe that she had to be air-lifted to the nearest trauma hospital, as was the girlfriend when she was freed from the mess. The only good news in all this was that the pregnant lady eventually delivered her full-term baby. The baby was named “Miracle.”

There was much speculation that the original driver must have been drunk. His family were fierce in defending him, saying that he never touched alcohol. So, that was not his excuse.

I was very angry over that incident. Such a disaster caused through one senseless action on the part of one person. The driver was critically and permanently injured, and it seems that someone made the decision that there was nothing more that the law could do to him that he hadn’t already done to himself. He doesn’t seem to have been charged with the matter.

I recall being super-critical about drivers of right-hand drive vehicles here on the Continent, or people who take their cars into Britain. I reasoned that if you must drive such a car that makes you the Odd Ball, then you must always exercise a very high degree of care and caution. Now, I am the owner of a Jaguar Sovereign right-hand drive car.

This is not the smartest thing that I’ve done. However, at my age I might never have an opportunity to do such a dopey thing again. The car is fourteen years old, and because it was used as a car to transport VIPs, its condition is similar to having just come out of the showroom. It drives like a dream, so in reality I am not regretting the purchase. The problem is getting used to driving a car that puts the driver on the curb-side rather than on the middle of the road.
I assumed that I might have had some difficulty handling the car, but it has come to me quite naturally. There are some things that present problems that will take some time to become comfortable with. The main problems arise when I encounter ticket machines at toll-booths and in parking zones. If I don’t have a passenger I have to get out and run round to the machine and run back into the car, all of which drives the people behind me bonkers.

When driving along two-way traffic lanes, and I come upon a slow-moving vehicle, such as a tractor, I am presented with an extremely dangerous situation. Before overtaking I have to make very certain that the other lane is clear, and if I cannot absolutely be sure, then I have to stay with the tractor and move along at 10 kilometres an hour. I am determined not to make the same mistake as the driver referenced above.

Finally, I do not have the luxury of most drivers who can relax a little to daydream of pleasant things as they drive along. I must be aware at all times where I must position my car. I cannot let the car drift too far towards the centre line, especially when on corners. The strain of always being so aware is draining, but the car is an engineering delight and I do feel special in it.

I add my congratulations to Jaguar for such a fine product. I always have to remember that it was they who built it, not me. I simply get to drive it.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

¿The End of Formula One?

These are very hard Times!

The economic crisis through which we are living is unlike anything I have ever known in all my seventy years. Even if you are 100 years old, I’m sure you could say the same. We have seen institutions that have weathered financial storms for over one hundred years that no longer exist. The world had simply got way ahead of itself through greed, and the use of credit to feed our greed.

In my father’s time we lived within our means. If we couldn’t pay for it with cash we went without. Then came all those easy-payment plans and before you know it, we were all in a great big hole. Now, we are trying to get out of that hole through the same method we used to get in.

All sectors have been affected, even the undertakers who have had to accommodate families in their hour of grief by offering lesser options. One of the hardest hit has been the auto industry. Dealerships have closed, and very special deals have been offered through a combination of the government and the retail sales. It has taken almost any kind of deal to move cars out of the showrooms. Formula One, however, has continued to race a full season, against commonsense logic that said it should have folded early on.

How can this be? Especially when you consider that the sport gobbles up so much cash for so little reward. It just doesn’t make sense. Honda Motors agrees, being the first constructor to throw in the towel. Meanwhile there has been all that bickering between the teams, with a split that was narrowly averted (for the time being) that would have created two racing systems.

Now, Toyota has finally wizened up to the fact that when the company is losing money as though through a fire hose they can no longer afford to throw more than 100 million dollars behind something as silly as racing. If your company won the constructor’s cup and your car was the winning one, if people don’t have the money to buy your everyday products, it simply doesn’t make any sense at all. Congratulations to Honda for being the first to blink. I believe that some sort of macho game has been going on. Although the water has been getting hotter and hotter, no-one wanted to admit that it was too hot.

I think that Renault will be the next to at least suspend racing for at least a year.

I will be very surprised if there is a racing season next year, or if there is, I imagine there will be a much smaller field. That would be fine, because in the midst of such intense economic suffering it is obscene to have Formula One cars going racing at top speeds as though we are in the midst of economic prosperity.

It’s time that we all get real!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Drivers we hate the most

Don't leave home without your sense of Humour

A poll was recently taken in Britain to determine who drivers hate the most among themselves. The result was that all drivers hate each other, and passengers think the driver is always crazy.

There is nothing new about these findings. This is the way it has always been in every country around the world. I just don’t know what it is that happens every time a person sits behind the wheel, but we all seem to undergo some kind of metamorphosis. We see kind and gentle accountants suddenly change into raging lunatics, capable of the most shocking road rage.

The words that come out of the mouths of demure ladies when they get cut off makes the hair on my back stand on edge. This subject is just crying out for study by some institution with the means and ability to get to the bottom of the mystery.

In the results of the study of ten groups, the ranking was as follows:
Tenth Place: Drivers with Caravans on holiday. They are looking at the scenery and taking their time. That just drives the rest of us up the wall.
Ninth place: Foreign Lorry Drivers. They don’t bloody well know where they are going, and they take up so much space. The perfect nuisance when you’re trying to get home for dinner.
Eighth place: Flipping taxis and mini-cab drivers. These people should all show bumper stickers that say “As a matter of fact, I do own the road!”
Seventh place: School run moms. When school is out traffic flows freely. Why do they have to drive such tanks to pick up the kids. I saw a mother in a Hummer. That is a war vehicle. They say it’s for self-defence.
Sixth place: Bleeding Sunday drivers. Having spent the entire week doing battle with traffic, why would someone say on Sunday, “come on, let’s go for a drive in the country?” During the week they drive like Lewis Hamilton. Sundays, they are Mr. Snail. Grrrr!
Fifth place: Mr White Van Man. You don’t actually have to be white to belong to this group. I don´t know whether they are as bad as, or worse than cab drivers, but honestly, there should be a law.
Fourth place: I don’t understand why those stereos –on-wheels should be in this list at all. I think it’s really cool to have a top sound system in my car. What would be the point if you can’t enjoy it too?
Third place. Mr. Show-off. His intention is simply one thing: to charm the pants off the girls. As a young man I thought it was only fair that having bought my super cool car, if a young woman accepted a ride she should expect to come across. (What the hell was I thinking?)
Second place: Courtesy. In England little road courtesies are commonly practised, but people who are at the receiving end must remember to acknowledge their appreciation. In Spain road courtesy doesn’t exist, so no problema!
First place: God, how we hate those damned Boy Racers. Never mind that we were all young once and offended everybody else on the road. Now I’m seventy and I just do not appreciate getting cut up by someone my own son’s age. Oh dear! He is my own son.

Happy motoring everyone! Don’t forget to smile!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Driving against the Flow of Traffic

We call this an accident. It's really simply a crash that might have been avoided.

My recent motorcycle crash was caused by a car moving against the lawful flow of traffic. That sent me in search of other incidents of this nature, and what might have been some of the consequences. In my case I have a broken leg and a cast that I will have to live with for six weeks, not to mention the discomfit.

No sooner had I started my search did I come across an incident that happened recently in the United States. A woman attended a family and friends picnic in the country, at which she drank alcohol and smoked marijuana. At the end of the day she borrowed a car and piled into it five children, her own and a friends, the oldest of which was nine, and set off to drive them home. However, she promptly drove into the wrong lane and didn’t appear to notice.

For two miles she drove at speed, and through divine intervention she missed all the on-coming vehicles until luck ran out and she slammed head-on into an oncoming car carrying three adults. Those three people were killed outright, and her car exploded into a ball of fire, killing all but her own son, who was badly burned.

This is a statistic that just simply didn’t have to happen. It was caused recklessly and stupidly and is just plain indefensible.

Question: Does anybody out there still think that it’s a good idea to drive with alcohol in your system, and is it a good idea to take illicit drugs of any kind?

This makes my broken leg seem not so important after all.

There was a time when I was most frightened on the road. It was the day that I met a driver on the highway coming towards me in the wrong direction. We were on the A 7 travelling North and we had just passed the junction with the road to Madrid. All three lanes were occupied and traffic was moving fluidly, when off in the distance we could hear the blowing of horns and something strange was taking place. A vehicle with its lights on and occupying the left lane, sometimes called the fast lane was coming our way.

There was a short break between us and the traffic ahead and we could see that the driver was making a left hand signal. We all went to our hazard lights at the same time and that great body of traffic reduced speed as though we had rehearsed together. The driver made a flawless u-turn then picked up speed ahead of us and took the first exit.

Is it possible to accidentally enter a highway and drive against traffic if there is nothing to impair your judgement? I think this is so because in most cases there is only a painted line on the road to divide the exit ramp from the on ramp. If something distracts your attention just for a moment it would be possible to cross over that line. However, it has to become apparent very quickly that you are doing something very wrong.

Unless, of course you are impaired by drink or drugs or tiredness. All of these things are fatal and should be avoided at all costs. You may not be so concerned for my benefit, but for self-preservation alone I expect you to care, because by now we all know how deadly these things are.

I don’t want to leave this without bringing into the picture the whole culture of drugs, and that includes alcohol when talking about having a good time. I no longer will go to someone’s home in the United States, except my family because I was always confronted by that tray with a choice of poison. “Do a line? Smoke a joint? Drop some pills? What’s your pleasure? “ Trying to refuse would lead to all manner of bad reactions. “You must be a narc!” “Do you think you’re better than we are?” I never got a return invitation and had no intention of ever going back. Meanwhile, the United States are giving Mexico a hard time to do more to stop drugs coming over their border, when in fact it is the buyers in America who are responsible for the problem.

The first time that a drug importer brings in a shipment and no-one buys it, he will change into a different business.

Finally, others can make such fatal mistakes such as British drivers coming to the European Continent, or vice-versa. Usually the problem arises when entering a major road from a minor road. If there is no traffic to remind us which side to use it is all too easy to make a mistake.

Take care out there. No one says that you have to die on the road!

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Anticipation, again!

Three Golden Rules: Anticipation; Anticipation; and Anticipation!

Anticipation starts with the first letter of the alphabet, which is how it should be as this is the first and most important rule of the road. Anticipate what might happen and you can be better prepared when it does happen.

I have followed this rule loyally over many years and in the process I have avoided a great many potential accidents. I have written about it before and I have tried to encourage readers to do likewise. An accident avoided is worth its weight in gold. An accident that occurs can potentially spoil your whole year.

Just two of the calamities I’ve avoided were (a) not knocking down the child that ran out into the street and stood directly in front of my car. I avoided crashing into him because it caught my eye that his father was not looking after him, so I felt that I had to be extra careful.

(b) Up ahead there were two cyclists. The one that was ahead was an adult woman who was riding on the right-hand side of the road, and behind her was a very young girl who was on the left-hand side. My instinct told me that she would cross over to join her mother without taking care of traffic. At the point when I would have passed her she suddenly simply crossed over without regard to me. Her mother never even glanced back to see how she was doing. Some times we motorists have enormous responsibility cast upon us by some very stupid adults. We have to learn the art of anticipation.

I recently had a crash on my motorcycle because I had lowered my guard and failed to anticipate. I was travelling within our pueblo and I needed to leave the main road by turning into a side street that is one way going in. Everybody knows that, and recently it has become a very busy street as the main Calle Mayor is closed due to works. So I approached at a very moderate speed of about 15 kph and made my turn into the street that has high buildings on both sides, so visibility is limited. Just as I was at the entrance there came a car heading out of the street contra to the flow of traffic.

I acted quickly to stop, but unfortunately there was just enough gravel on the ground to cause my bike to slide out from under me and down I went. I didn’t crash into the car, and I didn’t even damage the bike. However, my leg was trapped under the bike in such a way that as I went down my tibia snapped.

I’m sure that it will turn out that the driver was from another town, because everybody in my town knows not to drive in the direction that he was proceeding. However, the point I’m making is that it really does pay to stay vigilant. Although you know that traffic on a one-way system means that the flow of traffic should be from your left, or your right, that does not mean that absolutely there will be nothing coming from the wrong direction. You will be right, but that is very small comfort when you are sitting here with your leg in traction having to suffer from someone else’s mistake.

Some things to bear in mind when on the road:

- You are not the only person using the road, so make allowances for other traffic.
- When approaching a junction, even if you have the right of way, be sure you know that the other fellow will cede it to you.
- Drive within your capabilities when it comes to speed. That means adjusting your speed to road conditions, the weather and night time driving.
- Beware of children, and especially the elderly who might stumble in front of you if they are undergoing a moment of unsteadiness.
- Anticipate pedestrians who might pop into your path. You have to swerve for pedestrians.
- Beware of animals that are not on a lead. When animals dart out in front of your car or truck, the general rule is that you should not swerve as that can lead to loss of control. This is something that is easier to say than to do. However, if you see up ahead one dog cross the road, then you should anticipate that another will follow.
- When entering the unfamiliar territory of a town that you are visiting, assume that you will be in a complex set of streets and make absolutely certain that you are doing the correct thing before heading down each street. This can also save you some great difficulties by avoiding dead-ends.
- Above all else, stay focused in your driving and don’t allow the familiarity of travelling the same piece of road to disarm you. That’s a lesson that I have learnt to my own pain and dismay.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Life can be Funny/ Strange/ Peculiar

Life can be Funny/ Strange/ Peculiar and Surprising!

On Sunday 11th October I wrote a blog about “Selfish Motorists.” It was brought on by the fact that I have witnessed countless acts of absolute self-centeredness here in Spain that would get one killed in certain other parts of the world. The last straw was the couple with a “Wales” sticker on their car who drove into a Mercadona car park and deliberately took up two spaces, both reserved for the handicapped.

I though of having a dialogue with them, but anybody so cold as to do such a thing is not about to learn anything from me. I reasoned that they have to experience for themselves what it is like to be a handicapped person, even on a temporary basis, and to have their rights trampled upon by the selfish and uncaring. I ended that rant with an appeal to respect the rights of the handicapped before ourselves needing those rights.

Well, life can be funny and strange and peculiar. On Wednesday, October the 14th, while riding my motorcycle in my little village I came face to face with a car that was moving against the lawful direction of traffic and I went down in a slow-motion crash and broke my leg.

I don’t ever recall having parked in a handicapped space, or otherwise abused the rights of the handicapped. In fact, on occasion I have actively worked to benefit those not fully able, so the question arises why me? The answer can only be that I have opened the subject, and now I must carry through and share with readers what it is like being disabled. Hopefully, some good will come from my story.

The crash occurred at 10:45am, and neither vehicle was damaged. I took myself to the nearest clinic and they despatched me to hospital by ambulance. Any emergency department of a big city hospital must be the most interesting place on earth. I was taken to the Hospital Arnau de Villanova in Valencia. Here we see humanity at its most vulnerable. Pain and discomfit is the great leveller. In the outside world you may be a mover and shaker, but in here we all speak the same language, and that is “Help Me Please!”

The crush of people needing to be seen right away is daunting, and I have collected notes from my observations that I will make into a separate blog. For now it is sufficient to say that I was checked in at reception, then passed along through triage, and another office that took more in-depth information from me, and then to x-ray, and after five hours waiting, I finally saw the doctor in the trauma unit.

“I have to tell you that you have broken your leg and an operation will be required to reset it.” Not good news, but also not unexpected. I requested that I be transferred to the hospital that my insurance uses, “el hospital nou de octubre.” I was delivered to their emergency department where the process started all over again, and eventually by 11pm I was admitted and in my room.

The operation took place the next day and was successfully completed in spite of the break being in the most problematic place in my leg. I now am carrying two long screws that periodically give me electrical shocks. Airport security will now be an interesting experience. The extraordinary thing to bear in mind is that it was one year ago, October 16th that I was at this hospital having a bunion removed, and now I was having more surgery on the same foot.

I must not leave the hospital without saying how absolutely professional everyone is. They are super busy but are able to maintain their good nature, and even inject a smile every so often, which is just as good as any other medicine.

Now I am at home with a heavy cast on my left leg, and I have to cope. My wife is wonderful, but she will return to work during the week, so I will have to learn to deal with everyday tasks. Already I am finding that there are very little things that annoy me. I have converted my office chair with wheels into a wheel chair. Some of the floor tiles are uneven, something I don’t even realise normally, but they stop my chair and make moving about difficult.

Whether I’m moving about on my crutches or in my chair, I’m suddenly being left behind as the whole world passes me by. From my chair I’m constantly looking up, and I do notice that I have become invisible to most of the world that just doesn’t have the time for Mr. Go-Slow.

From my last experience on crutches, I remember having stumbled and I nearly fell in the street. That was met by outright laughter from two women who must have seen it as something from Monty Python. I don’t expect to be going too far for a while. In fact, the authorities might like to think about hobbling prisoners in this way with a heavy cast-like apparatus on a leg. They could stay at home without making too much mischief.

Stay tuned, as there will be more to report in the future. Meanwhile, please respect the rights of the disabled. You never know when you might need those rights yourself.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Selfish Motorists

Please Respect This Sign Today. You May Need It Tomorrow!

I have to be open and honest from the beginning, this is a rant about selfish motorists. If I offend you because you are one of the people about whom I’m complaining, that's what I intend to do. But if I can get you to think about your actions and perhaps to correct them, that will be worth the effort.

Everyday I see things that are so self-centred; that are done without any concern for anyone else, that I am astonished and outraged. Starting with the way many people drive, they position their cars by cutting corners without knowing whether or not anyone is coming the other way. This often results in frontal crashes. Frankly, if the offending driver is killed that’s one less menace on the road. Unfortunately, it’s probably all too often the other driver to suffer the worst of it.

On a recent visit to Mercadona supermarket in Lliria, near the Pla D’ Arc, a driver with a Wales sticker drove his car into the parking area and parked it at an angle across two parking spaces. This all by itself was bad enough, and he showed not the least concern that he was taking up two parking spaces. However, both spaces were clearly marked reserved for Handicapped Drivers. The crassness of these people’s selfishness took my breath away. Bastards! Shame on you! There can be no excuse. In case they could not read Spanish there was even a picture to assist these morally dead idiots.

Then there is the offence of simply parking in Handicapped reserve spaces by people who are clearly handicapped, but only in so far as they have shit where their brains should be. When we do this, we are simply saying to the handicapped: Fuck You!

Then there are those people who park in loading/unloading areas reserved for delivery trucks. This is a selfish thing to do, especially when there is a dire shortage of parking spaces. I have been tempted to do the same, but instead I will go and find a pay parking area that’s perhaps a little farther away.

There is one offence that is so often committed that makes me so angry I feel like doing something drastic to remedy the situation. In many places the city has made provision for people who are confined to their wheelchairs to be able to access the sidewalk, and to go from one to another. They have made a slope in the sidewalk, but, in so many cases along comes a car and they park right across the access point. The driver just gets out and walks away.

I try and imagine how a handicapped person must feel when they come to this point, and I can only think that they must be so angry and hurt at the same time. When a policeman sees this he should call in the grua and tow the vehicle away. The driver's fine should be at least 1,000 euros, mainly for his insensitivity and to teach him or her a lesson.

I will only say that there can be one solution to permanently remedy this situation, and that is that such drivers should meet with an accident that places them in a wheelchair. It need only be for a limited time, but the first time that they are confronted by such wilful neglect for their welfare by someone who should have been more sensitive the message will have been driven home. Trying to talk to these people will be an exercise in futility as they are obviously too stupid to accept the truth.

I´m sure there are many other examples, and we need to think before we act. When trampling over the rights of the handicapped we should remember that our fully capability status today could change in an instant. It is in our own interest to protect the rights of the handicapped before we need those rights ourselves.

“There but for the Grace of God, go I.”


Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

The Trials of Formula One

Some time ago I wrote posing the question of why is it that one year Formula One seems to produce one driver who leads the field consistently, and the next year that same driver can hardly get in a first place finish. There was a time when the finish of a race was predictable: Michael Schumacher would win in his Ferrari. That was the case race after race, and year after year. Fans got bored and ticket sales fell. So, Schu retired leaving the field open for anyone to win.

Then we got Fernando Alonso, the pride of Spain, and that was followed by that fabulous year of Lewis Hamilton. That was only last season. This year he has hardly been heard from. What happened?

My question was whether there was a possibility that there was a conspiracy to keep up interest in the sport, so that no one driver would dominate it as had Schumacher. I had speculated that if fans got the idea that races were being fixed they would probably turn their backs. There were allegations of teams ordering one of their drivers to allow the other to go through to win, which would be bad enough. Now we have hard evidence apparently of just such a thing happening.

The case of Renault and the order to Nelson Piquet, Jnr to crash his car to favour Alonso is outrageous. To deliberately do such a thing, with all its unintended dangerous consequences is just not acceptable. Small wonder there was such a furore that resulted in the life time ban from the sport of Renault’s Flavio Briatore over the alleged attempt to fix the outcome of the Singapore race.

There is so much money and so much to gain (and lose) in Formula One that it is hardly surprising that the sport has had more than its share of scandals. I would like to think that when I pay 500 euros to witness a race, what I will be seeing is a pure contest between drivers and constructors. So many people have the impression that wrestling is fixed and phoney that they simply don’t bother with it.

Formula One might well be headed in that direction. Management have got to be tough and vigilant and transparent. Formula One has enough problems already without manufacturing any more.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Atten-shun!

Staying Alive

When was the last time your attention to your driving diminished? Was it your last journey? Does it happen every journey? In my case it happens just about everytime I get in the car. When I am driving over familiar territory I find my mind wanders off to think about what I will do with the proceeds of winning the lottery; or perhaps I’m already writing this blog, or any number of things.

When I’m driving over new territory it could be worse as I get to look at all the new stuff. I admit that this is a shocking admission, but it’s the truth. I’m not suggesting that my attention is distracted for long periods. Just a second or two is all it takes to crash your car. For instance, when your eye catches something along the side of the road, just for the proverbial second, and then you look straight ahead only to realise that the traffic has stopped and you are about to crash headlong into the line of cars, what’s your reaction? You panic, right?

We all do, and that example has happened to just about everybody who drives at one time or another. The fact is that you have to interrupt your concentration from time to time, otherwise you will become fixated. The trick is to choose the time and place to take that necessary break. If you do so when the line of traffic is way ahead of you and you’re on a straight road, then maybe you’ll be alright.

A well dressed businessman who was driving behind me along the main entrance road into the city of Valencia, chose that time to turn his head and look directly at his passenger while engaged in conversation. Meanwhile, I had stopped for the traffic light. Just because he was well dressed and driving a Mercedes didn’t make him an intelligent person. He rammed straight into the rear of my car, then looked absolutely startled. I felt I could have slapped him with a car jack.

I don’t have statistics to hand, but I am prepared to bet that the real cause of most accidents involve inattention. It might seem that speeding is at the top of the list, or driving while impaired due to drink or drugs, but it’s easy to see how a loss of concentration could tip the balance.

So, this is just a timely and cautionary suggestion: promise yourself to always pay attention when appropriate while behind the wheel. A motor car or truck, or whatever can do a lot of damage if you’re not careful. To say after the fact that you didn’t intend to kill someone, does not help anything at all

Copyright (c) 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Policemen/Fundraiser

Revenue Officers?

The motoring public are up in arms, and perhaps we should be. Suddenly we find ourselves up against the wall as our pockets are emptied along the highway by bandits. These bandits are dressed in the uniform of a policeman, the officers to whom we look for protection. Suddenly they are the ones who are demanding money with menaces.

Our society is policed with our consent, and our society also works only if we respect the laws and the people who carry out the laws. Consequently, we expect the men and women who police us to conduct themselves in exemplary fashion. We don’t always get that to the letter, but generally, in the Spanish state the police do hold themselves in high regard.

It seems as though City Hall has forgotten all that and has given their police forces the order to bring in revenue as the coffers are bare. If I am correct in that assumption that would explain the behaviour of certain police establishments. How else do we explain a sudden rush of fines on the spot for petty offences such as not standing still at a stop sign long enough; not driving in the right-hand lane of a three lane one-way road without cause; and especially not being in strict compliance with speed signs.

To be fair, if you have been passing a box in which there was supposed to be a working radar, and it has always been empty, and suddenly it has a radar and you are nicked speeding, then fair enough. The sign said “Speed controlled by radar.” You now have no basis for complaint, even if you received multiple fines.

However, some situations approach desperate attempts to rip off motorists. There is a stretch of roadway that I travel everyday that is simply a trap, anytime the police wish to spring it. At the start of the stretch between two towns there is no sign posted to say what is the legal speed. It could be either 80 or 90. I have always assumed it to be 80 to be on the safe side. Shortly after entering on the road we come upon a sign at a dangerous crossing that says 60. Our speed should be no more than 60 when passing that sign and should remain so until we pass the next sign upping the limit.

That sign doesn’t appear. The next sign we pass says 60 as it is another dangerous exit and entrance. Quite a distance along we come to a sign that says 70, meaning that we should reduce our speed to 70 as it’s another slightly dangerous turnoff. Clearly then, we were supposed to be travelling at a higher speed. The next sign to that one says 60 as we pass another dangerous point.

Legally, although someone intends (I think) that traffic should travel between the restricted zones at 80 or 90, we are never authorised to do so. It’s just a matter of time until the traps are sprung. Using policemen in this manner is, or should be a crime and it makes the police criminals in uniform. However mayors may try to justify their demands, having the police pull people over and empty their pockets is no better done by the police than the highwayman.

Here are some more offences, among others, that are rarely prosecuted, except when City Hall’s bank account needs to be topped up: double parking; parking on yellow lines; parking on sidewalks, changing lanes without a signal; driving with one hand draped out the window; parking across a pedestrian crossing; driving with the boot in the up position; wearing backless sandals; carrying inappropriate loads in a car; unsecured seat belts; and talking on the phone while driving. (I saw a policeman doing this.)

I end this with a plea to those who control the police: Return the police to bona-fide policing and give them back their dignity.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

A Fine is serious business. It is the price we pay for learning a lesson.

Samoa changes from Right Hand to Left Hand

The island nation of Samoa in the South Pacific has taken a very bold step. Not since the 1970’s has any country been so brave and confident in changing the side of the road that they drive on. Business owners have changed the names of their business, and even countries have changed their names, and that is problematic enough, and expensive in the extreme, but to change from one side of the road to the other seems like a suicide mission.

The Samoan islands are located approximately halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. There are two major islands, one was formerly known as American Samoa and the other as German Samoa. The total land mass is slightly smaller than Rhode Island in the United States, and the population is about 179,000. Islanders speak their own native Samoan as well as English. They gained their independence on July 1, 1962.

The Samoan islands have had a very chequered past that at times has brought islanders into sharp dispute with their colonizers. From the end of World War II the New Zealanders, more than anyone else have had more of a controlling force upon the lives of the islanders, although people from the former American Samoa tend to emigrate to Hawaii and the United States, and to continue American culture.

The need for making such a major change in the driving habits of the country was driven by the fact of their betwixt and between situation. Importing cars from Hawaii added an exorbitant cost to vehicles. They did this because of the need to have cars that conformed with right hand side of the road driving practise. However, cars imported from New Zealand, where driving is on the left meant that the cost was a fraction of American made cars, and it also brought Samoa into line with the driving habits of their neighbours.

To get an entire nation of people to change from driving on one side to the other must surely be a nightmare that most countries would not contemplate. It is difficult enough when we go abroad to always remember to be on the correct side. Mistakes usually mean death, so that is the gravity of the matter.

To prepare for such an event no doubt there would have been an intense period of education leading up to the change date and time, and it must be ongoing until it would appear that the message has sunk in. Wisely, the government announced a two-day holiday when people would simply go for a drive to get used to the idea. Secondly, and perhaps more important, they closed all bars for a three-day period and prohibited the drinking of alcohol and driving. Of course, every country does that as a permanent measure, but for the event having a clear head would definitely be a help.

At 6:00am on Monday 7th September the Prime Minister addressed the nation on radio and gave the official “let the games begin!” The roads were saturated with security personnel, and at the signal all traffic came to a complete halt where they were. Ideally, most people with their vehicles should have still been at home at that moment, but if not there came the very careful changeover from right to left. Needless to say, this created another problem that will eventually rectify itself. That is to say that all the left-hand drive cars now placed their drivers on the wrong side of the lane, which is not a hopeless situation, but extra care will have to be given until those cars are scrapped.

For the residents the whole thing was a very unusual parade. Roads were lined with spectators watching the process. The only incident was caused by a group that called itself “People Against Switching Sides” who were convinced this action would bring about chaos and blood on the islands roads. They protested by blocking some roads for hours, refusing to let the change begin. However, when they heard that elsewhere things were going smoothly they relented and allowed traffic to pass.

The first day passed without any accidents, and that must surely be some kind of record. No doubt in the future there will be accidents as people relax and forget, but it will work in the long term. This is not just an action that is important to Samoa. My own country of Bermuda, as well as many others, could well benefit from making exactly such a move. We drive on the left and we get our vehicles with steering wheels on the right from England and Japan. However, most of our tourists come from America, and once on the island they hire mopeds and some promptly go out on the roads and drive on the right. As a practical matter it makes sense for us to drive on the same side as those countries from where the greatest numbers of our visitors come from, namely The U.S. and Canada.

Meanwhile, the only country out of sync in Europe is the United Kingdom. It is one thing for them to insist that they will not give up the British Pound, but they are part of the European Common Market, and to doggedly maintain a system of driving that is different to all their neighbours is perhaps taking one’s independence too far.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael